The power generation industry is transitioning from being mostly based on a small number of large centralized power plants to a diversified network that combines conventional power plants, renewable power generation (e.g., solar, wind and the like), energy storage and microgrids. Traditionally, power grids have been designed to accommodate variable load demand, in which central-station power plants at a transmission level provide services down to the industrial, commercial and residential end users at a distribution level.
As renewable energy is becoming a major contributor in meeting demand, the grid control system needs to provide more flexibility for power systems to compensate for the volatility of renewable energy. More particularly, due to uncertainties in renewable energy resource availability, renewable power generation cannot be accurately forecast (nor can it be completely absorbed by the power grid). Hence, renewable curtailment may be required to achieve demand response balance.
To facilitate the penetration of renewable power generation (such as wind turbines and solar panels) into the power grid, load-side control is used. In general, the purpose of load-side control is to attempt to optimize the collective power consumption of the loads (such as buildings), including to accommodate uncertainties in the renewable power generation. A goal may be for the loads to achieve a desired collective power, determined by renewable generation and grid conditions, while each load's quality of service is respected.